Content Quality Standards: What Ad Networks Look For

Why Content Quality Determines Your Monetization Success

Content quality is the single most important factor in ad network approval decisions. You can have perfect technical implementation, strong traffic numbers, and flawless site design, but if your content does not meet a network's quality standards, your application will be rejected. Every ad network, from the most accessible to the most exclusive, evaluates content quality during their review process.

The reason is simple economics. Advertisers pay ad networks to place their brands alongside trustworthy, engaging content. When an ad appears next to thin, low-quality, or questionable content, it damages the advertiser's brand perception. Ad networks that consistently deliver poor-quality inventory lose advertisers, lose revenue, and eventually fail. Maintaining content quality standards protects the entire advertising ecosystem.

For publishers, understanding what ad networks look for in content quality helps you create content that not only passes approval reviews but also performs well with audiences. High-quality content generates more traffic, keeps users on your site longer, and creates more valuable ad inventory. The same content standards that ad networks enforce are also the standards that correlate with publishing success.

E-E-A-T: The Quality Framework

Google's E-E-A-T framework, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, provides the most comprehensive lens for evaluating content quality. While E-E-A-T is primarily associated with search rankings, ad network reviewers use similar criteria when evaluating publisher applications. Understanding each component helps you create content that satisfies both search engines and ad network quality teams.

Experience

Experience refers to the content creator's first-hand involvement with the topic. A product review written by someone who actually purchased and used the product is more valuable than one compiled from other reviews. A travel guide written by someone who visited the destination provides insights that desk research cannot replicate. Ad network reviewers look for signals of genuine experience including personal observations, original photos, specific details that only come from direct involvement, and honest assessments that include both positives and negatives.

Demonstrate experience in your content by sharing personal anecdotes, including original photographs, providing specific measurements or data from your own testing, and acknowledging limitations in your knowledge. Content that reads like an encyclopedia entry lacks the personal dimension that signals real experience.

Expertise

Expertise is the depth of knowledge demonstrated in your content. Expert content goes beyond surface-level information to provide nuanced analysis, technical details, and professional insights. A health article written by a medical professional demonstrates expertise differently than one written by a general blogger, but both can show expertise within their appropriate scope.

You do not need formal credentials to demonstrate expertise, though they help. Deep research, accurate technical details, proper use of terminology, and comprehensive coverage of a topic all signal expertise. Linking to authoritative sources, citing studies, and acknowledging the complexity of nuanced topics also demonstrate expert-level engagement with your subject matter.

Authoritativeness

Authoritativeness is about your reputation and recognition within your topic area. Sites that are frequently cited by other publications, linked to by industry resources, or referenced in discussions about their topic demonstrate authority. For newer publishers, authority builds over time through consistent publication of high-quality content and gradual recognition from peers and audiences.

Build authoritativeness by developing a clear author identity with an author bio page that explains your background and qualifications. Internal linking between related articles on your site demonstrates comprehensive topic coverage. External links from reputable sources to your content are the strongest authority signal, though these accumulate naturally over time as your content earns recognition.

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness encompasses factual accuracy, transparency, and ethical content practices. Trustworthy sites clearly identify their authors, provide contact information, disclose affiliate relationships, cite sources for factual claims, and correct errors when they are discovered. Sites that present opinion as fact, use misleading headlines, or hide their identity fail the trustworthiness test.

For publishers seeking ad network approval, trustworthiness signals include having a detailed About page, providing a working contact method, displaying a privacy policy, maintaining an affiliate disclosure page, and using bylines with real author names. Anonymous content on sites with no identifying information raises red flags for ad network reviewers.

Word Count Expectations by Network

Different ad networks have different content depth expectations, though none publish exact word count requirements. Understanding these unwritten expectations helps you calibrate your content strategy for specific networks.

Google AdSense expects articles of at least 800 to 1,000 words with 15 to 20 published articles minimum. AdSense reviewers check for content substance rather than length, but very short articles under 300 words are frequently cited in rejection notices as insufficient content. A site with 20 well-researched articles of 1,000 to 1,500 words each typically passes AdSense review comfortably.

Mediavine expects long-form content averaging 1,000 to 2,000 words per article. Their reviewers evaluate not just word count but content depth. A 1,500-word article that thoroughly covers its topic with original analysis is preferred over a 2,500-word article padded with filler. Mediavine also values content freshness, so continue publishing new articles while your application is under review.

Raptive, formerly known as AdThrive, has the highest content quality expectations among major ad networks. They look for comprehensive articles that demonstrate genuine expertise, typically 1,500 words or more. Raptive reviewers read your actual content, not just check word counts, so quality matters far more than quantity.

Ezoic has more flexible content requirements, accepting sites with shorter articles as long as overall quality is reasonable. However, sites with primarily thin content below 500 words per article may be placed in lower revenue tiers. Even with Ezoic's flexibility, investing in longer, more comprehensive content pays dividends through higher RPMs.

Formatting Best Practices

How you format your content affects both readability and ad network approval. Well-formatted content signals professionalism, improves user engagement, and creates better ad placement opportunities. Here are the formatting practices that ad network reviewers look for.

Use heading hierarchy correctly. Each article should have a clear structure with an H2 for major sections and H3 for subsections. Heading text should accurately describe the content that follows, not serve as clickbait or keyword-stuffing opportunities. Consistent heading hierarchy helps both users and search engine crawlers understand your content structure.

Break content into digestible paragraphs of two to four sentences each. Long, dense paragraphs are difficult to read on screens, especially mobile devices. Short paragraphs with adequate white space improve readability metrics like time on page and scroll depth, which in turn improve ad viewability.

Use lists, tables, and other structured elements to present information clearly. Bulleted lists are ideal for enumerated items, comparison tables work well for feature comparisons, and numbered lists suit sequential instructions. These elements break up text walls and provide visual variety that keeps readers engaged.

Include relevant images in your content. Articles with images receive significantly more engagement than text-only articles. Use original images when possible, and properly attribute stock images when necessary. Every image should have descriptive alt text for accessibility, which ad networks also evaluate.

Original Images and Media

Original visual content strengthens your ad network applications significantly. Stock photos are acceptable, but sites that rely exclusively on generic stock imagery look less professional and less trustworthy than those with original photographs, custom graphics, or unique screenshots.

For product reviews and tutorials, original photos of the actual product or process are essential for demonstrating experience. Screenshots of software interfaces, photographs of recipes in progress, or images of DIY projects at various stages all demonstrate genuine engagement with your topic.

Create branded featured images for your articles using tools like Canva, Figma, or Adobe Express. Consistent branded imagery across your articles creates a professional appearance that impresses ad network reviewers and helps your content stand out in search results and social media feeds.

Optimize all images for web delivery. Large, uncompressed images slow down your pages, hurt your Core Web Vitals scores, and create a poor user experience. Compress images to appropriate quality levels, use modern formats like WebP, and implement responsive images with srcset attributes to serve appropriately sized images for each device.

Content That Gets Flagged

Certain types of content trigger red flags during ad network reviews. Understanding what reviewers watch for helps you avoid common pitfalls that lead to rejection.

• Thin content: Pages with fewer than 300 words that provide no substantive value. Category pages, tag archives, and author pages with only a few lines of text count as thin content.
• Duplicate content: Content that appears on other websites, whether copied from external sources or syndicated across multiple domains you own. Even substantial paraphrasing of existing content can trigger plagiarism detection.
• Misleading titles: Headlines that promise information the article does not deliver. Clickbait titles may drive clicks but damage trust and lead to high bounce rates that ad networks monitor.
• Keyword stuffing: Content that unnaturally repeats target keywords to manipulate search rankings. Modern ad network reviewers easily spot keyword stuffing, and it signals low-quality SEO practices.
• Auto-generated content: Pages created by content spinners, article generators, or templates that produce technically unique but practically valueless content. Automated content strategies are explicitly prohibited by most premium ad networks.
• Prohibited topics: Content about weapons, drugs, adult material, hate speech, gambling, or other restricted topics. Each ad network publishes a list of prohibited content categories that publishers must review and comply with.

AI Content Policies

The rapid adoption of AI writing tools has prompted every major ad network to establish policies on AI-generated content. Understanding these policies is critical for publishers who use AI tools in their content creation workflow.

Google AdSense does not explicitly prohibit AI-generated content but requires all content to provide value to users. Their quality guidelines focus on the output quality rather than the production method. However, mass-produced AI content that is published without human editing or review typically fails quality standards because it lacks original insight, personal experience, and factual accuracy.

Mediavine and Raptive have stricter positions. Both networks evaluate content for signs of AI generation during their review process. Sites with primarily AI-generated content that has not been substantially edited and enriched by a human editor face rejection. They look for original analysis, personal perspective, and unique information that AI tools cannot provide independently.

The practical guidance for publishers is to use AI as a tool, not a replacement for content creation. AI can help with research, outlining, first drafts, and editing suggestions, but the published content should reflect your genuine expertise and original thinking. Add personal experiences, proprietary data, original images, and unique analysis that distinguishes your content from what any AI tool could generate independently.

How Much Content You Need

The minimum content requirement varies by network, but here are practical guidelines based on publisher experiences and network expectations. For Google AdSense, aim for at least 20 to 25 published articles before applying. For Ezoic, 15 to 20 quality articles are typically sufficient. For Mediavine and Raptive, your content library should be extensive enough to support 50,000 or more monthly sessions, which usually means 50 to 100 or more articles.

Quality always trumps quantity. Twenty excellent articles that demonstrate expertise and attract organic traffic will outperform two hundred thin articles that generate no engagement. Focus on creating comprehensive, valuable content in your niche rather than rushing to hit an arbitrary article count.

Content diversity matters alongside volume. Cover your niche comprehensively by addressing different subtopics, question types, and content formats. A cooking blog with twenty pasta recipes shows less depth than one with recipes, technique guides, equipment reviews, and ingredient explainers across various cuisines.

Content Audit Checklist

Before applying to an ad network, audit your content using this checklist to identify and address quality issues that could cause rejection.

• Remove or improve thin pages: Consolidate or expand any pages under 500 words. Delete placeholder pages, empty categories, and unused tag archives.
• Check for duplicate content: Use Copyscape or Siteliner to verify all content is original. Remove or rewrite any content that matches external sources.
• Verify factual accuracy: Review statistics, dates, and claims in your content. Update outdated information and correct any errors.
• Add author information: Create detailed author bio pages and add bylines to all articles. Include relevant credentials or experience that establishes expertise.
• Optimize formatting: Ensure all articles use proper heading hierarchy, include images, and break content into readable paragraphs.
• Review internal linking: Link related articles together to demonstrate content depth and help visitors discover more of your content.
• Check for broken content: Fix broken images, dead links, and formatting errors that make content look neglected.
• Update older content: Refresh your oldest articles with current information, improved formatting, and additional depth.

Run your site through AdGateScore to get a comprehensive assessment of your content quality alongside technical, performance, and design factors that ad networks evaluate during their approval process.